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About Us

The McCluskey family has farmed the ridges, hills and valleys of Shillelagh Glen Farms for four generations spanning 125 plus years. Our tradition of milking cows, raising beef, and "sugaring" or making maple syrup began in 1886 when our great-grandparents came to Shillelagh Glen Farms by way of Counties Donegal and Mayo, Ireland. Three brothers, Kevin, Patrick and Brian, continue this tradition today.

We grew up on Shillelagh Glen Farms and have lived here all our lives. We know the best place on the farm to hide for "hide and seek", and where Red's tree is (and why it's called "Red's tree"). We can show you the exact spot the hay wagon rolled off Hickory Tree Point and down into Brice's. Two of us jumped off the wagon before it rolled off the Point; one rode it to the end. Farming is in our DNA. It can be over 100° in the hay mow with the temperature climbing as the bales stack taller, or so cold that there's frost inside the barn from moisture in the cows' breath. No matter; we wouldn't have it any other way. Oh, and as for that hiding spot: it's the asparagus patch, but only in full fern.

Our Farming Practices

We manage our farm so it is as self-sustaining as possible (a "closed farm"). Our cattle are all born and raised on our farm, and we grow all the feed for our animals. We pay a lot of attention to soil health and fertility because it matters. We know that you have to start with the soil if you're going to produce milk, cheese and beef of extraordinary quality. We rotationally graze our livestock and carefully manage our pastures for regrowth and nutrient value, growing deep rooted crops to recycle soil nutrients and green manures to build soil fertility. We are a non-GMO farm, and do not use or grow any GMO crops.

We raise 100% grass-fed Hereford and Normande beef cattle. Our beef herd numbers 25 head and is completely pasture raised with access to shelter in bad weather. Cattle are meant to graze, and that's exactly what they do on our farm with plenty of pasture at hand: Shillelagh Glen Farms is approximatley 800 acres with about one-third of that in pasture and the remaining acreage split between hay fields and woods.

We partner with Weber Meats in Cuba City, Wisconsin to process our beef (Weber Meats is certified organic by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship) and sell our beef by the individual cut only. Sorry, beef shares and bundles are not available. We offer the following individual cuts, subject to availability:

** A word about our ground sirloin plus, also called "premium burger" or "premium ground beef". Steers that are not harvested for individual cuts are harvested for ground sirloin plus. To make this premium burger we grind all the cuts together except two: rib eye and tenderloin. We know what you're thinking, but you read it right! All the steaks and all the roasts (except rib eye and tenderloin) are in our premium burger. This is not your usual ground beef and it's more - way more - than ground sirloin. Think ground sirloin plus!

Cheese

We milk 63 cows twice a day, every day, to bring you McCluskey Brothers' certified organic cheese. Primarily a Holstein herd, we do have some Jersey and Normande milk cows as well. "Our girls" graze the rolling pastures of Shillelagh Glen Farms and, like our beef herd, are 100% grass-fed.

We make our grass-fed cheese seasonally, from May through November when our girls are on pasture. Hand crafted in small batches and made from our girls' milk only, we're known for our nonpasteurized or "raw milk" cheese (it has a devoted following!), but also make some cheeses with pasteurized milk, including mozzarella and monterey jack with jalapeno pepper.

Each season imparts its own flavor. Taste the sunshine!

Maple Syrup

Late winter finds us in the woods, tapping maple trees. As the days start to warm yet the nights stay cold, the sap in the maple trees begins to flow. We collect that sap and cook it down to 100% pure maple syrup - nothing but nature from the maple trees of Shillelagh Glen Farms! A natural sweetener (no GMO worries here!), maple syrup is a mainstay in our farm kitchen. Look for recipes on our Blog and shop for the sweet stuff on our Maple Syrup page.

About Our Organic Certification

The McCluskey Brothers at Shillelagh Glen Farms have been certified organic since 1996. Our certifying agency is International Certification Services, 301 5th Ave., Medina, North Dakota 58467. Our Certificate Number is ICS-10023-2010.

About Our Cheesemaker

The McCluskey Brothers have sent milk to Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain, WI for as long as anyone around here can remember, which means we've been sending our milk to Cedar Grove for over 50 years. No strangers to award winning cheese, Master Cheesemaker Bob Wills and his crew at Cedar Grove are true craftsmen, using their expertise and skill to make only the finest quality cheeses. In fact, Bob is one of only a handful of U.S. cheesemakers who has earned Master Cheesemaker certification (Butterkaese and Cheddar).

Shillelagh Glen Farms surrounds Our Lady of the Fields Chapel. "The Chapel" was the place of worship for the early settlers of Loreto Ridge, the ridge Shillelagh Glen Farms calls home. Many of these settlers and their descendants are buried at The Chapel graveyard. Here you will find names such as Fargen, Rice, Scallon, Murray, Drea, Byrne, and, yes, McCluskey on the tombstones.

Frost on the glass of our cold frame. Yes, there are plants under here...waiting for warmer weather.